Khullar

The first quote of Khullar’s that I found interesting was when he said on the first page, “the words we choose to describe illness are powerful”. I felt that this quote was important because it is essentially the basis of his whole article. I support this statement because I think whatever metaphor you choose to combat illness, it gives that patient a certain mindset which could either be very beneficial or harmful for them. He then said, “If thinking of a virus affects how we address crime and punishment, might thinking of conflict and combat – as I encouraged my patient to do – affect how we address a virus”. I think this was a key point in the article where he questioned if the metaphor determined how a virus was treated. It made me question if the virus is viewed differently, would the new perception alter the treatment or the outcome? The last quote was, “Ultimately, any metaphor – military or otherwise – is not inherently good or bad”. He went on to say after that it is up to the of the patient how it is viewed. This is something I 100 percent agree with in not just this situation, but in all situations that metaphors are used. It can be portrayed one way or the other, but in the end it is up to the reader how it is going to be perceived.

Geary said, “Metaphor also matters because it influences decisions by activating analogies”. I think this is relevant to the topic because if they influence decisions then possibly they would influence the outcome of a patient.

Erard said, “When I describe my work, people often ask whether these new metaphors actually change how people think. They can”. Erard would definitely agree with the points in this article because if he feels they change the way people think, then he will definitely feel that they are important to help a patient deal with a virus or disease.